I invite you to turn with me tonight to Acts chapter 3, as we'll read chapter 3 through chapter 4, verse 12, leading up to chapter 4, verse 12, the familiar verse we find there. When you have found that, please also turn in the back of the Psalter, hymnal, to page 18 as we read this in connection with Lord's Day 11. The Lord's Day 11, as you recall, we are in the second section of the Heidelberg Catechism, specifically now considering what we say we believe when we confess the Apostles' Creed. Lord's Day 11, beginning with what we confess concerning God the Son. Page 18, questions and answers, 29 and 30, as we give expression to what we believe regarding these questions. Question 29 asks, why is the Son of God called Jesus, meaning Savior? Because He saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else. It is futile to look for salvation elsewhere. Do those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves, or elsewhere, really believe in the only Savior, Jesus? No. Although they boast of being His, by their deeds they deny the only Savior and Deliverer, Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior, or those who in true faith accept this Savior have in Him all they need for their salvation. Acts chapter 3, hear now the Word of God, beginning at verse 1. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, look at us. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed. And you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life. but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him as you can all see. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as He promised long ago through His holy prophets. For Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people. You must listen to everything He tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about 5,000. The next day the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas, the high priest, was there. And so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them, By what power or what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved. May God add His blessing to the reading and the consideration of His Word tonight. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, once again tonight, together we have confessed amazing and incredible truths. As we said, I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, we confessed together amazing and incredible truths. We confessed these before each other. We confessed these really before angels, didn't we? We confessed these before the living God Himself, saying by this that we know ourselves to be safe for time and eternity, and we trust that He provides for and that He protects and that He preserves us so that not even death will be able to separate us from His covenant-keeping love. What confidence we have in God our Father. Yet, beloved, as we hear with our ears daily disturbing news in the world such as of the wars that are going on or natural disasters that are taking place or of horrible cruelty and crimes that are being committed or as we taste disappointment and disease and death in our own personal lives or as we witness an increase of wickedness and attack against Christianity and the church in the world and in our very own society, how can we be so sure then of what we confess about God the Father? Well, it is because as we also confess, He is my God and Father for the sake of Christ His Son. And that Son, we know and we confess as Jesus the Savior. The catechism begins its consideration of God the Son, and what we mean when we confess Him in the Apostles' Creed, it begins its consideration of God the Son with that sweetest name above all names, the name of Jesus. That name which contains the Gospel in miniature, that name which makes the providence of God comforting because apart from that name, God's fatherhood is meaningless. But because of that name, God's fatherhood is indeed filled with meaning because in His person and work, Jesus opened for us the gates of righteousness so that God is our Father. Why? Only because Jesus is our Savior by His power. And the power of the name of Jesus, and therefore the power of Jesus Himself, His power to save was demonstrated through Peter and John with the healing of the crippled beggar, who before His healing was a picture of what all need, and after His healing, He was a picture of what is offered to all and is found only in Jesus. And therefore, beloved, tonight we confess the name of Jesus given. The name of Jesus, and therefore Jesus Himself given as revelation. Revelation from God Himself given to men as God's precious gift. And it is this One who was promised. God revealed Him in promise. Throughout this passage, as we read, Peter talks about the prophets and what they prophesied. He makes it clear that they pointed forward to this very One, this very Jesus Christ. He says in verses 24 and 25, Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days, and you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed. And Peter quotes Psalm 118 in chapter 4, verse 11, when he says, He, that is, Jesus, is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. This one by and through whom the crippled beggar was healed was promised from the Garden of Eden on by the patriarchs and prophets to take upon Himself the sin of His people, even as Isaiah said, the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. That promise was revealed throughout the Old Testament and that promise was fulfilled in this one called Jesus. God not only revealed Him by way of promise, but by way of fulfillment when He sent His only begotten Son and also revealed who He would be, His purpose for coming as He revealed His name, Jesus. That name, beloved, was not invented for Him by men. It was not thought up by Mary and Joseph because they thought it would sound good with whatever their last name might have been. But that name was declared by God through the angel to Joseph. You are to give Him the name Jesus. And Peter makes clear that this Jesus was not dead as the Jewish religious leaders and officials thought, but He was very much alive. He had been glorified by His Father and He was proving that He was alive. He was proving His power and His rule through the healing of the crippled beggar. A healing which points to the revelation of Him for salvation. You are to give Him the name Jesus. Why? Because He will save His people from their sins. God revealed who He would be. He revealed what He would do in His very name. And His task has been accomplished. His mission was included in His name. Now, boys and girls, our names have meanings too, don't they? Maybe you know the meaning of your name. Maybe your parents chose your name because it had a particular meaning that they liked. But so often, the meaning of our names really might clash with our true character. I think I've mentioned before that my name, Philip, means lover of horses. I don't love horses. I don't hate horses. I've never owned a horse. I've never really ridden a horse. It clashes with my true character, I would say. We think of the name Judas. And we think of Judas Iscariot. The name Judas means one who praises God. And we know that that clashed with the character of Judas Iscariot. And Judas is most likely a name that not one of us would really want to have because of Judas Iscariot. But even if we had that name, we would have to admit that it would clash with our true character because we don't always praise God. But with Jesus, there was absolutely no conflict and no clash between His name and His being and His work. His name fit Him perfectly. who He is and what He would do. In fact, what He has done. He accomplished His name. He is Savior. Or He would have denied His name. We know that when He walked this earth, many tried and still today, many still try to make Him something else. When He walked this earth, they tried to make Him nothing more than an earthly king. They tried to make Him nothing more than a liberator from Rome. And even today, there are many who make Him out to be a great teacher. He is a wonderful philosopher. He is an awesome example for us, but He is anything but Savior. But He never lost His focus. He never left His mission to save because salvation, the reason that He came, was necessary. Peter says, by which we must be saved. Salvation is necessary because of sin. Now, of course, that's not new to you and me. But all people have this need for the mercy and the grace of the living God. The crippled beggar was proof to the visible eyes of those who saw of the spiritual need of us all. Peter said, you can see he has been healed. And just as they could see that he had been healed before he was healed, they could see the truth of him. That he was a needy person. And his crippled status was proof to the visible eyes was to be of the spiritual need of us all. Just as He was physically bound, He could not walk freely. He could not earn a living. He could not worship in the temple. He was helpless and hopeless. He was dependent on others. The same thing is true for all of mankind lost in sin. Helpless and hopeless. Indeed, many, those who also are ignorant of their need for salvation, when they find themselves in trouble in this life, many look to themselves for help, They look to others, they look to people, they look to government programs. Yet anything other than Jesus, even for this life, is worthless and helpless. Jesus alone is exclusive. Peter says we must be saved. We have that need. And it's as if he also says, and it must be by Him. Because He alone is our hope for salvation. Because He alone is the true and only Savior. Beloved, again, because man's problem is sin. Man's problem is not a weak economy which might be fixed by God's common grace. Man's problem is not an unfair society which might also be improved if we just teach each other to get along and to love each other a little bit more. Man's problem is not because of unbelieving presidents or rulers or because of hardships and difficulties and disastrous circumstances that you and I might be called upon to face in this life. Those are all symptoms of the problem. But the problem is sin. As Peter points out with his audience, those who had rejected God's salvation, those who had rejected the Lord of glory, who is man's exclusive and only hope, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Man may look long and hard for another means of being right with God, but it is a complete waste of time Jesus alone is the one we needed because He was true and perfect and righteous man at the same time true God He alone could satisfy the wrath of God against our sin and pay for all of our sins as He says of Himself in John 14 verse 6 no one and He means there absolutely no one comes to the Father except through Him and beloved on the occasion of this healing of this crippled beggar. Our Lord Jesus Christ visibly proved His power to heal and to save and to do so comprehensively. You see, with Him it's all or nothing. Question 30 asks again, to those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves or elsewhere, really believe in the only Savior Jesus? No. Although they boast of being His by their deeds, they deny the only Savior and Deliverer Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior or those who in true faith accept the Savior have in Him all they need for their salvation. He saves comprehensively. With Him it's all or nothing as He demonstrates through the physical and the spiritual healing of the crippled beggar who not only walks and leaps, which was amazing. If you've ever had a cast on your leg or sprained your ankle, You know that the next day it hurts badly. You can barely walk on it. But this crippled beggar who had never been able to walk in his life immediately is strengthened. He is not only walking, but he is leaping, which was amazing. But not only that, he was praising God. He entered the temple for worship most likely for the very first time. And that points to the comprehensive salvation of Jesus. The salvation that He brings is perfect. It is complete. It is lacking nothing. He makes us fully acceptable to God. He redeems us body and soul. No, in this life, He does not promise to save us from all the results of sin. We know that on this occasion, God had chosen this man to be healed. Indeed, as an awesome example for the people to whom Peter was to preach. To be an example to their very eyes of the healing that only Jesus alone could bring. Jesus has not promised to save us from all of the results of sin in this life. Our life's circumstances may not be changed, and they don't necessarily need to be. Often God leaves them much the same in order to test the sincerity of our faith in Jesus, yet because He is our Savior, and because of that, God is our Father, and therefore we confess that whatever adversity our Father sends to us into this sad world, He turns it to our good. Beloved, no one else is needed. No one else can do. No one else can be found. We might be tempted to say, yes, we know all this, but you know, we need to be reminded of this too, don't we? Many want to supplement Jesus with a little help elsewhere. We think of Israel at the time of Elijah as we've been considering. They looked to the Baals. Again, we know that they didn't totally turn their back on Jehovah, but they looked to the Baals just in case there was something that the Baals really could offer them. They wanted to have the Baals at their fingertips. We know at the time of the Reformation, still today, there are many who look to deceased saints for help, for the forgiveness of their sins, for paying for their sins. There are many who really, even in subtle ways, look to themselves that certainly there must be something that I can do to make myself acceptable to God, even if it's just a little bit. Many want to supplement Jesus with a little help elsewhere, but that's not how it works. As Peter makes clear, only Jesus. Jesus alone has been given by God as revelation for salvation. Not only the one who would bring salvation, but the very one who has accomplished salvation. And that revelation is to be proclaimed through the church. Beloved, because there is absolutely no other Savior from sin, this Jesus must be preached. And He must be preached with conviction, just as Peter did to the crowd and later on to the religious VIPs of the nation as he boldly proclaims the truth of Jesus. On the occasion of this healing, God opened the door to him and without fear he preaches of sin, he looks the crowd in the eye and says, you killed the author of life. He looks in the eyes of the religious leaders and says, you crucified him. Yet he goes on to make it clear this very one that you killed, that you crucified, is the only one by which you too must be saved. And therefore he must be believed. He must be embraced by faith. has noticed Peter also preaches hope. I think this is a beautiful portion in this chapter. I've never really seen it before, but going to verse 19 of chapter 3, he says, Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, the times of refreshing may come from the Lord. He had just looked them in the eye. He had just convicted them of their sin and said all that they had done wrong. And then he says, Repent, because there is hope. You see, the salvation that Jesus brings is not only for the elite. It's not only for those who are a little bit better or are maybe not as sinful as others. It's not only for those of a certain denomination or federation. It's not only for those of a certain ethnic background. But it is even and it is especially for those who killed Jesus. Which in essence includes every one of us, doesn't it? Beloved, the beauty here is that there is hope for the most violent offender who truly believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as the name of Jesus was given as revelation. As revelation by God of what He had determined from before the foundation of the world to do for you and me. This Jesus, beloved, has been revealed to us, to you and me. Do you hear that name? Do you know that precious name by faith? The name that has been given also, secondly, for liberation. Peter says salvation is found in no one else. But notice in that phrase what Peter also says. Salvation is found. Again, it is not hopeless. It is in Jesus alone. And the salvation that Peter is talking about, we are to understand, is indeed deliverance from sin resulting in the state of safety both now and forever. He has been given for liberation from sin. Our sin has been removed in the sight of God for eternity. Objectively, we can say that all of our sins are forgiven, but it doesn't end there. We have also been liberated from the bondage of sin in this life, subjectively from the power of sin. As Paul says in Romans chapter 6, we are no longer slaves to sin, no longer bound to it, no longer controlled by it, no longer are we only able to sin as before the Holy Spirit worked in our lives. We have been liberated from the bondage, from the power of sin, and the believer's will is bent toward God. Bent so that in Christ we are no longer under the dominion of Satan. The chains have fallen off, And instead, our allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ. Yes, we still struggle with sin, but indeed, God's people struggle, which is evidence of that new life. It is evidence of being liberated from the bondage of sin. He has also been given for liberation from self-deceit. And this might hit a little closer to home for us. You see, we may not look to saints. We may not rely on the horoscopes. We may not depend on popes. But there are many who deny the sufficiency of Jesus in other ways. For example, some deny the sufficiency of Jesus, not necessarily meaning to, but some deny the sufficiency of Jesus by thinking that they are too sinful to be forgiven. Certainly my sins are too bad. Jesus could not pay for them. Certainly. He has not shed enough blood to pay for my sin. That is to deny the sufficiency of Jesus. Some deny the sufficiency of Jesus in another way, by not really wanting to be delivered from certain sins that we might enjoy, from besetting sins that cling to us that we really don't want to let go of. Yes, we want to be delivered from this life to heavenly glory one day, but while we remain in this life, sometimes we really don't want to be delivered from certain sins that we enjoy. And in a way, that too is denying the sufficiency of Jesus. Some may deny the sufficiency of Jesus by making decisions out of fear, not faith. We confess the providence of God, but do we really believe it? Do we really believe that He cares for this life? Indeed, we trust that one day on our deathbed, He will remove us from this life and take us to glory with Him. But maybe at times we make decisions out of fear, not faith. We make decisions that compromise with the world instead of our inobedience with the Word of God because we don't really trust that our God cares for this life, that our Father cares for this life, and that too is to deny the sufficiency of Jesus. Beloved, many deny the sufficiency of Jesus by anything that they might do that would cause them to say or think, Well, because of that, God will be pleased with me in the sense that I'll be okay with Him. Certainly because I go to church, because I give generously, because I'm a good person, because I don't do all sorts of bad things, certainly then God must be pleased with me and that must help me. That must help make me okay with Him, right with Him. Peter says salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Not your name, not my name. That's not how it works. Indeed, we are called to strive to please God in all that we think and say and do, but not in order that we might become right with Him, but because we are right, we are okay with Him through Jesus Christ alone. And there's another way that sometimes we might deny the sufficiency of Jesus. Young people, waiting to make profession of faith because of certain excuses. Sometimes that excuse is, well, I'm not good enough. Well, join the crowd. None of us are. But an excuse that is often given for waiting to make profession of faith is, because I don't know enough. I need to know more. Well, indeed, we are to have a correct understanding of the truth of Scriptures, but it's not about the quantity of one's knowledge, but the quality. And to say that I can't make profession of faith because I need to know more is to try to meet Jesus halfway. It is really to deny the sufficiency of Jesus in so many ways, beloved. We might deny the sufficiency of Jesus, yet praise be to God that He liberates us by forgiving all of our sins, even the sin of idolatry of ourselves. And He helps us more and more by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to forsake ourselves and cling to Him alone as He liberates us also from seeking help elsewhere. Look again if you have the Psalter hymnal open at the last part of answer 30. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior or those who in true faith accept this Savior have in Him all they need for their salvation. Do you see the liberation that is ours that we find in that answer? We are liberated from seeking help elsewhere. Indeed, He is all or nothing. And because He is all, by His Holy Spirit, Jesus gives His redeemed people true freedom that we don't have to strive to find or accomplish our salvation on our own. We don't have to try to do our part. We can't. It's all been done in Him. That's true liberation. Instead, we are liberated to live in the joy of the salvation that is already ours in Him. We are liberated to live in joy as those who are saved, as those who are right with God, not those who are trying to get there. We don't have to live with the burden of worrying about if we have done enough for Him or if we have failed to do enough and therefore we might lose what we thought we had. We are liberated. And this liberation was the joy of the healed beggar. He no longer needed to seek help from others. His future looked rich and rewarding. He was liberated as he no longer needed to be carried. He no longer needed to beg. He no longer was kept out of the temple. And we can be sure that he never ever forgot this amazing turning point in his life when he was healed of all of his physical infirmities and when he knew as well that he was healed of all of his sin. And beloved, this is true of all who truly repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. They will not forget that amazing turning point in their life. As we know that our future looks rich and rewarding because of the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. Ours is a life transformed so that we can walk with the Lord in the light of His Word and way. So that we might leap with joy because of the salvation that the world did not give and cannot take away from us. So that we might be praising God for the gift of His Son, that precious gift that we needed more than anything and by whom we come to the Father forever and in whom we can without a doubt believe the promises of Jesus that we might be comforted and equipped to face every new day no matter what challenges we might be called upon to face. Beloved, just as God will not share His glory with another, there is absolutely no cooperation with Jesus for saving His people from their sins. There is absolutely no cooperation with Jesus by which we are made right with and by which we are accepted by God. Apart from Jesus alone, One can boast of salvation, but it's just empty words. It's meaningless. It's hopelessness. But for all who, by the grace of God, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul says in Romans 10, confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised from the dead, our comfort and confidence is that we are saved. And we have a joy that saturates all of life as we wait for the coming of the Lord, a joy that we are safe in the hand of our Heavenly Father for time and eternity. Because Jesus is our Savior. Indeed, the name of Jesus is sweet in the believer's ears because it soothes our sorrows. It heals our wounds. It drives away our fears in this life because ours is the comfort that even though on this side of glory we must confess that weak is the effort of our hearts. And cold are our warmest thoughts. Yet we have the confidence that one day when we see Him as He truly is, then we will praise Him as we ought. Praising Him for our eternal salvation through Jesus alone. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessed name of Jesus, that name above all names, beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. It seems so simple. Yet, Heavenly Father, what a glorious truth that You have given to us, revealed through Your Son. revealing our salvation through Your Son, accomplished for us by Him, that we might be freed from all of our sin, that we might be freed from bondage to sin, and by the power of Your Holy Spirit we might live in faith according to the glorious salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus. Oh, Father, help us never to take this glorious truth for granted. but instead to live in joy all the days of our life. No matter what we may be called upon to face, yet we might know that we are safe and secure in the hand of our Father for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. In His name we pray. Amen.